Eternal Obsession
by Setalina Muro
Summary: The familiarity of it all was like a dream. The sands, the moon, his crimson eyes. That taunting voice…'You can’t run forever'…but she sure as hell could try… Screamshipping BxS
1. Part 1 Vision

**Eternal Obsession**

**By:**

**Setalina Muro**

**Summary:** It familiarity of it all was like a dream. The sands, the moon, his crimson eyes. That taunting voice…_You can't run forever_…but she sure as hell could try…Screamshipping…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any places, people and/or other things you are familiar with from the show or anything else. The plot, however, is mine.

**OLD A/N: **A special new try for me, and a new fiction for you on my one-year anniversary! Yes, I have been here, on FFN for one whole year! No, it may not be much to celebrate, but I will anyway!

**NEW NOTE (6/20/07)**: I have actually gone through and edited this and will replace the second chapter as well. Mostly, it was edited for grammar as well as little things that bothered me. Seeing as how I decided to pursue interest in this story, I thought it best to start by editing the first two chapters, particularly the line that read 'reading system fro blink people'.

* * *

**Part One:**

* * *

_'You can't run forever…'_

"_I can…"_

'_Yes then, run…But you won't escape again…I will catch up with you…I will come for you…you can't escape me…I own you…my little Shizuka…"_

Kawai Shizuka leapt from her sleep, separating her body from the warm comforter as she reached for the light next to her bed. Her breathing was sharp and ragged as she placed her bare feet on the rug. Her dark red hair curtained her face as she willed the panic attack to subside. She turned the switch of the lamp, carefully placed on the table beside her for optimum vision during the night. Her eyes dilated for a moment with the sudden shock and glare of the light, but almost immediately, they returned to their original position. She was nearly blind.

Her hands scrambled as she felt blearily for her things: the pad of paper and pen she had asked her brother to place there for her, within easy reach, so that she need not disturb him during the night. Shizuka shook slightly as she picked the writing utensil up and pulled the paper closer to her face, flipping to find a blank page. When the black scribbles of her writing failed to swim in and out of view against the yellow paper, she reached under the lamp for a pair of thick glasses. She put them up to her dull, amber-colored eyes, but little swam into focus for her. Her own writing, large and quickly scrawled screamed up at her from the page opposite to the one she planned to write on now.

Shizuka's breathing had returned to its original rhythm and her heart no longer pounded so painfully in her chest. She shook everything else from her mind, concentrating on the dream as she began to write, the words spilling from her fingertips.

'_Again, I come here in need of comfort. Again, I am haunted by the terrifying reoccurrence of this nightmare. It begins with a great chase, through shifting sands that bite at my feet. The whipping wind carries his voice as he calls for me. He frightens me, and I don't know why. I don't know him, and yet he knows my name. I feel as if… I've forgotten something. Something terribly important…'_

She closed her eyes as she thought back, trying to remember the details of the dream that began to slip from her, dripping like water through her fingertips as they disappeared to the deepest reaches of her subconscious mind.

'_And how dark his eyes were!'_ she wrote, the letter becoming sloppy in her haste. _'Dark and evil. They shone of blood and fire! And almost enchanting they seemed to me, but they held a broken promise, and even as the moon sank behind the horizon and the glow of dawn came, he promised it again and again. 'I will not hurt you…' but I felt in my bones that the words had been broken before.'_

Shizuka shook her head, as if the action itself might bring back the details she needed to understand what was happening.

Who was he, this specter that haunted her dreams? What did he want of her?

Soon, she would wish she had never wondered such things…

* * *

"You can't run forever," he whispered in a sing-song voice, caressing the crystalline globe in front of him. The girl in the image never moved, nor did his eyes as they observed her. Dark crimson orbs flashed over the scene, taking in the crumpled body as it lay in the sand. It was broken, bloody and worn, deprived of life by his hands and blade. 

But he was not satisfied.

The true glory was gone long before he had ever claimed her. She was defiant, and even as he caught her, stuck her down and killed the living flesh, the soul he had been after, the very fiber of her insolent being, fled, leaving him only a shell.

The pursuit had continued. From century to century, as they took new hosts, adopted new lives, the game of cat and mouse advanced. He would never let her escape. She just temporarily eluded him.

Now he had found her again, seventeen years after his rebirth. This was his year, he knew it. For the body he had taken was exactly the form of his old one. She, too, had been returned to her former glory.

The vision in the globe now shifted, showing a beautiful girl of fifteen, her hair pale fire against her yellow sheets. She was delicate, pink lips pursed slightly as she slept. Her skin was pale, her features sharp, yet beautiful.

It had passed obsession many centuries ago. Pursuit and capture of her was his only meaning, the very peak of his existence.

"You won't escape me again," he hissed a sadistic smile working its way over his twisted features. "I own you, my little Shizuka…"

* * *

It was very early the next morning that Shizuka awoke again. She groaned as she sat up, a dull throb pulsating in her head. Yawning widely, she pulled the coke-bottle frames from her face, having had fallen asleep still trying to drag up bits of the dream. Nothing of it had come to her. 

Shizuka automatically looked at the floor as she stood up, moving carefully toward her closet to open the white double doors. The inside of the closet was completely organized. The clothes were put in drawers, each clearly labeled in Japanese and below it, and small bumps were etched. The bumps were brail, a reading system for blind people. The dresses and other clothes that had to be hung up were covered in clear plastic bags, each with the brail letters on both sides of the hanger.

She sighed as she felt for the hanger that said 'School Uniform' on it. Taking it from the closet, Shizuka leaned down and ran her fingers across the drawers until she found her undergarments and white socks. Her shoes were also labeled. Her fate as a compulsive neat freak aided her organizing her life in her near blindness.

She was just finishing buttoning up her blouse when there was a knock on the door.

"Shizuka-chan," a gruff male voice called. "You awake?"

Shizuka smiled softly and walked toward her vanity. She liked the sound of his voice. It was comforting how he still talked to her normally.

"Yes, Onii-chan," she answered as she reached for her hairbrush and ran it though her hair. "And I'm almost ready."

She heard the knob turn and his heavy footsteps came across the room. His breathing was soft as he came up behind her.

"Good morning, Shizuka-chan," he said. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"Okay," she answered, putting the hairbrush down and standing up. "Do I look alright?"

She saw the vague outline of him smiling as he ran his hand over her head. "Not a hair out of place."

Shizuka smiled back. "I'll be out in a minute, Onii-chan."

He nodded and turned to leave. "You better hurry," he joked. "There might not be anything left!" his laughter faded as he moved out the door.

That was just like her Onii-chan. He was two years older than her and his name was Jounouchi Katsuya. Shizuka adored her brother. He was such an enduring person! He had grown up with their abusive, drunkard of a father while Shizuka had left with their mother. Jounouchi was funny and charming with a messy mop of blond hair and warm brown eyes. He was also one of the best duelists in the world, almost champion of a game called Duel Monsters.

Shizuka shook her head to clear her sudden daze. "Don't even think of eating all the food!" she called out, moving toward the dim and blurry outline of the door…

* * *

Half an hour later, Jounouchi hurried around their battered pickup to help Shizuka out of it. It was too early for many people to be milling around the courtyard. Jounouchi and Shizuka tended to avoid crowds for her safety. 

As he led her carefully up the stairs, Shizuka caught the voices of their friends. Hotori Honda, a nice boy with pointy brown hair and a baritone voice, was the most distinctive of the group. Shizuka tended to shy away from him because of his obnoxiousness. Others were there as well. Spiky-haired, soft spoken Mouto Yuugi, dark-haired, dice-rolling Ryuji Otogi, and friendly brunette Mazaki Anzu.

As the siblings crested the top of the stairs, greetings were sent their way. Shizuka remained characteristically silent as the group began to move. They all, including Shizuka, had the same home room. It had been requested that Shizuka have her classes with Jounouchi for her protection. It also helped that Shizuka was incredibly bright.

As they entered the classroom distorted shapes came into Shizuka's vision. As usual, three girls jumped out and ambushed Otogi, earning a firm reprimand from Naoki-sensei, the teacher. **(AU1)**

The sharp, quick clacking of keys also came to Shizuka's ears, and she turned her damaged eyes on the vague outline of Kaiba Seto, the school's top student. A slight shudder came over her frail body. She had broken Kaiba's laptop yesterday by accident.

The group stayed in the doorway talking as other students began to make their way into the classroom. Shizuka began to feel her way to her desk. Third row in, fourth seat back. She moved the seat back and slid carefully into it.

She sat quietly, ignoring the constant, hair-raisingly cold stare Kaiba was giving her from the fifth seat in the second row, and soon, Naoki-sensei called for students to settle down.

"Gozaimasu, class," he said when they were all seated. "We have a treat today." Pulling up the world map, where several letter were written on the chalk boards beneath it, caused a multitude of groans from the class.

"It's a quiz, Shizuka-chan," Yuugi whispered to her. Shizuka smiled vaguely.

"Joy," she replied, and the teacher began to pass out the test.

He paused in front of Shizuka. Leaning down, he said in a low voice. "I've found a system to print the tests in brail for you, Kawai-san." He set the test in front of her and continued passing the rest out.

Returning to the front of the room, Naoki-sensei looked around. "Kaiba-san, please put your computer away. This _is_ history class, after all." Kaiba scowled, but put the computer away with no more complaint. "You may begin."

The room was full of scribbling and clinking as the test began. Shizuka ran her fingertips back and forth across the paper, her eyes closed as she carefully marked her answers. Naoki-sensei was one of the few teachers at the poor, run-down school who put in an effort to help his students. He was the only one who went out of his way to help Shizuka.

She finished the test quickly. It had not been difficult and the brail letters made everything much simpler. As Naoki-sensei gathered the tests up again, there came a soft knock at the door, and the mutterings of the class filtered away to curious bubbling as it opened. A figure in blue walked across the room slowly, footsteps making a soft clack on the vinyl floor.

The class watched with silent interest as the new student paused by the teacher's desk and had a series of hushed whispers, a small slip of pink paper exchanging hands.

Naoki-sensei stood and moved to the front of the room. Shizuka shook her head, watching as her teacher smiled faintly at the class. His green eyes cast a glance around the room. He looked happy, and Shizuka could help but wonder why someone as young looking as he was could want to spend his life teaching in this dump. She glanced at the clock. Maybe he was happy because there were only fifteen minutes left in the class.

There was a bizarre feeling floating through Shizuka's mind as she snapped back to attention. Naoki-sensei had begun introducing the young man next to him. Yes, Shizuka saw clearly now that it was a striking young man…

Her eyes widened slightly as she took in his details. But it wasn't that he had a pale face draped in silvery hair and kind brown eyes, it was that she could clearly see the pale face draped in the silvery hair and the brown eyes. The shock of vision she hadn't enjoyed since she was six years old was slowly registering.

She was staring now, a sharp constriction cutting her breath short. This wasn't right! This wasn't natural! The boy was watching her now, all else fading back into darkness, save him. A smooth smirk wound across his face. His eyes narrowed, almost gleefully, a red glint coming to them. His mouth opened and an unnaturally dark voice came from the smirking demon as he stood in a black void alone with her.

"Hello, my little Shizuka," he whispered and she screamed.

A rushing wind was sweeping her back; the darkness was receding. A dim flickering light was above her. She was till screaming, her voice unnaturally loud. She was grabbing her face; a terrible burning sensation flooded her eyes. The floor was cold on her back; a blind panic had overwhelmed her as she rolled back and forth on the vinyl.

"Onii-chan!" she cried between sobs. "ONII-CHAN!"

Shizuka felt two arms close around her, forcing her off the floor. She stumbled against him as he begged her to stand. She couldn't understand the words coming from his mouth as he half dragged her out of the classroom. She didn't open her eyes. A violent spasm broke out over her body. The pain in her eyes was still evident. A moment later, her brain shut down, and she passed out completely…

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Translation section:**

_Onii-chan_ – an enduring term used for an older brother. This is what Shizuka calls Jounouchi.

_Sensei _– the respectful suffix used to show respect to an educator.

_Gozaimasu_ – 'Good morning'

* * *

**Au 1: **Naoki, meaning 'honest'. Yes, the same name I used in _'Blood Canvas'_. I decided that I liked it and it would work here. I tend to do that a lot in my stories. Anyone pick up the use of Draga in both _'TCHS'_ (a minor OC used as Bakura's grandmother in later chapters and mainly for people who read the earlier version. She showed up in chapter nine) and _'FML'_(the kindly old woman who cared for Cyndia and her child until her transformation)? yeah.

* * *

**Old A/N: **Okay! There you have it. My first real twisted Screamshipping fiction. **Please R&R. **

**NEW NOTE (6/20/07): **The second chapter has been edited as well and the third chapter is finally underway.


	2. Part 2 Dream

**Eternal Obsession**

**By:**

**Setalina Muro**

**Summary:** It familiarity of it all was like a dream. The sands, the moon, his crimson eyes. That taunting voice…_You can't run forever_…but she sure as hell could try…Screamshipping…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any places, people and/or other things you are familiar with from the show or anything else. The plot, however, is mine.

**OLD A/N: **Well, here you have it. I got it typed because I am so far from a homework mood its not even funny and my mom is going to ride my ass if she knows I was on the computer. At any rate, I have another one shot that I wrote today when I was beyond depressed on the way (not today more like this weekend-ish). I'll also try to get _'To Capture Her Spirit'_ updated sometime soon.

**NEW NOTE (6/20/07): **Strangely enough, '_To Capture Her Spirit'_ is indeed among my task list of stories. Other than that, I will finish work on the next chapter of this before making the final touches on that story.

ALSO, reviewer replies posted previously have been removed due to the 2006 restriction.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

_Darkness…_

The first thing she saw was the darkness.

"Good morning, Shizuka."

Panic suddenly flooded her body. That voice! She tried to move, struggling against his arms as they held her.

"Shhh…" he whispered. "You'll hurt yourself again. Darling…"

She opened her eyes slowly, pain flooding her.

"You bastard!"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Above her, the figure grinned, his crimson eyes lighting up. He chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head.

"You'll be coming back soon, Shizuka," he said. "It's our game, remember? Our simple game…it's all happened before. You've just lost touch with everything. With that brother of yours and his friends, why, you never had time enough to brood or remember. Even when the darkness hit. But now…" his hands were straying uncomfortably and his breath was hot against her cheek. She struggled further.

"Don't you touch my brother!" she hissed.

"I won't. As long as he stays out of my way." He suddenly pulled away, casting her to the ground, turning his back to her. "You won't remember any of this." He stopped for a moment as he began to walk away, then crouched beside her. Shizuka noticed the rich, gold trimmed red robe. Her own clothes were a strange style as well, but a deep crimson covered the white dress. Shizuka gasped.

"A present," he whispered, touching the silken veil on her head. "For old times sake. You used to wear it for me in Egypt…" he leaned closer to her, capturing her mouth with a vicious, sickeningly demanding kiss. Shizuka cried from deep in her throat as her head began to swim. Only then did he pull back, smiling wickedly as he grabbed her chin in his hand, squeezing the pale flesh beneath his fingers. His tongue slid over his lips, savoring her taste again, as his eyes gleamed.

"You have no idea what I have planned for you, Shizuka…"

* * *

"_Shizuka…Shizuka…"_

A soft moan escaped Shizuka's lips as she turned her head, the familiar voice drawing her out of dark, misty dreams.

She opened her eyes to something unexpected, but not alien. If nothing else, her vision had faded to far worse than it had been before. How much darker the shadows seemed!

Sitting up in the small, white bed, Shizuka looked around. "W-where am I?"

Heads tilted toward her from across the room.

"Shizuka?" Jounouchi's voice came to her sensitive ears from across the room. Quick footsteps followed as a blurry silhouette moved closer. "Oh, thank Kami!" He didn't ask if she was okay. They both knew the blindness made her far from it. He paused by the side of what Shizuka took to be a hospital bed, grasping her hand. "Shizuka, what happened? And why is your chin bruised?"

"I…" Shizuka paused, memories of her sudden unnatural vision swimming around in her mind. Her hand went up to her chin and she touched the flesh hesitantly, her hand snapping back as it stung. "I don't remember," she finally settled on. Who would believe in the blind seeing for mere moments then convulsing the next? And then the bruise? And the blood?

She looked down at her clothes, but there was no blood there. Her thoughts began to race.

_--You won't remember any of this…--_

But she did remember! She remembered those words! She saw, no wore!, that blood stained white dress!

"Shizuka-chan?"

Her attention snapped back. "Yes?"

"You don't remember anything?"

She shuttered at the words. "No," she lied, shaking her head. "Onii-chan, where am I?'

"Just the infirmary, little one," the middle-aged, curly haired nurse said, taking Shizuka's pulse. "Kawai-san seems fine now," she continued, speaking to Jounouchi again. "Nothing serious. I just suppose she fell asleep and had a startling dream."

Shizuka nodded reluctantly, stepping off the paper covered bed.

"Try to get some rest," the woman said kindly, patting Shizuka's shoulder empathetically. Again, the petite girl only nodded.

"Arigato, Azumi-san," Jounouchi said, leading Shizuka to the door. The woman waved from her desk then continued her report… **(AU1)**

Jounouchi steered Shizuka through the school crowds on the way to their next class.

"How long was I out?" she asked softly, defiantly tuning out the whisperings at their approach.

"It's almost sixth period," Jounouchi answered, rubbing his head.

"Four and a half hours," Shizuka answered in quietly, chewing her thumb nail. Something was wrong here. The sight, the dreams, the blood. There had to be a connection. She struggled to remember who was in that dream with her; who she had seen when her vision momentarily returned.

Leading the way into a set of double doors, Jounouchi sat Shizuka down on a bench against the wall.

"I have to go change," he said absently, placing their book bags next to her. Shizuka remembered that sixth hour was gym. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Onii-chan, really," she assured, shoving at him. "I'll be sitting right here like I always do. Just go."

Sighing discontentedly and grumbling under his breath, Jounouchi moved away.

"He seems like a lovely person," a crisp, sophisticated voice chirped, cutting into her confusing thoughts and causing her to jump.

"Y-yes, I guess he is," she replied slowly, looking toward him. "Can I help you?"

He seemed to be shaking his head. "No, it's my first day so I don't have a uniform to participate in. Mind if I sit here?"

"Oh," Shizuka said, nodding slightly as she moved to the other side of the bench when he joined her on it. "How do you like it in Domino?" she started in an attempt to be polite, watching flickering shadows as other students came into the gym for roll call.

"Hmm," he murmured, the smooth accent now positively defined as British. "It's alright, I suppose." He paused, seeming to take a closer look at her. "You're blind, aren't you?"

Shizuka was taken aback by the sudden, prodding question. "Almost," she remarked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Ah," he nodded. "I'm sorry if that seemed forward. You have large pupils. My apologies." He looked at her again. "My name is Ryou Bakura."

Shizuka nodded. "I'm Kawai Shizuka. Um…why did you come to Domino, Bakura-san?"

She narrowed her eyes, trying to detect the flicker of a shadow she saw across his face, but he answered her in an unwavering voice.

He paused. "My parents died in Egypt. They were Egyptologists."

Shizuka blinked. "Oh…" she said, slipping into her thoughts again. "I'm sorry." She began to bite nervously at her thumb again.

"Something troubling you?" Bakura asked, as the other students in the gym began throwing basketballs back and forth.

"Hmm? Oh, just a dream…" Shizuka looked up as out of nowhere her vision cleared and she saw something round and orange flying at her. A startled cry came from her throat as she curled up, preparing for an impact. But faster than that, Bakura flared up, stepping in front of her, the basketball landing firmly in his hands. Shizuka looked up, the gifted vision still in place. A sinister aura flooded him as his body stiffened.

"Who threw it?" he hissed, the voice dark and dangerous.

Shizuka blinked with a sudden onslaught of pain in her eyes. She opened them again shaking her head. _That had not just happened._ Looking up, she saw the vague Bakura standing in the same pose. The rest of the class was silent. But no dark atmosphere was there, only a sinister laughter from the other side of the court.

"Oops." Shizuka recognized the voice as Kaiba's. He only continued laughing.

There was a sudden 'thud' and several loud smacking noises as Shizuka saw another figure dart across the playing court and head butt another.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you throw a ball at Shizuka?!" Jounouchi's voice screamed from across the room.

The scramble last for several minutes before the teacher was able to separate the two boys. Bakura turned and sat back down. He looked at Shizuka.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Nodding shakily, Shizuka looked at him. "Thank you Bakura-san."

"Why did he--?"

"I…broke his laptop the other day." Shizuka ran her fingers through her hair. "It was an accident."

"I see…" Bakura's eyes darkened for a moment as the rest of the class dispersed…

* * *

Shizuka stood out in the hall waiting for Jounouchi after school. The gym teacher, ignoring the fact that Jounouchi was only protecting his sister, had given him several days of detention. Of course, Kaiba had escaped with no penalty. Shizuka shook her head, and slowly traveled toward a nearby water fountain wedged between two sections of lockers. As she moved down the line, her hands gently brushing the top lockers with the tips of her fingers, her eyes locked intently on the ground, her hand crept across something warm and soft. Something very opposite the cool, metal lockers. She jumped back, gasping softly. 

"W-who's there?" she asked, her voice shuddering. She continued to move back until she ran into the wall on the other side, her body tense.

The figure in blue pulled away from the lockers moving towards her. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

That voice! Shizuka breathed a sight of relief. "Bakura-san!" Pulling away from the wall, she smiled cheerfully.

He was moving slowly toward her, his head inclined slightly to the left. "That's right. How did you know?"

"Your voice!" she answered brightly. "I recognized it."

"Are you always good with voices?"

She shrugged laughing. "You kind of have to be in my position."

"Hmm…" she saw his hand move up and rub his silvery locks. "Um…Shizuka, you mentioned a dream earlier?"

Blinking Shizuka tried to recall. "Yeah, yeah I did. Before Kaiba-san threw the basketball at me. Thank you again for that by the way, but the dream was nothing."

Bakura's face darkened. "What kind of dream?"

Blinking, Shizuka paused uncertainly. "It doesn't matter, really. It was just a dream… A nightmare, actually."

"And if it wasn't just that?"

Shizuka's breath hitched suddenly. "What do you mean, Bakura-san?"

He took a step toward her, and Shizuka shuddered suddenly as a cool breeze brushed past her. She looked around, horrified.

The wind swept pieces of dark sand into the air. Gone were the lockers and fountain. A bright full moon was rising behind a dune of sand.

An ear-splitting scream tore through the night and Shizuka twisted around, watching as a woman made her way across the desert. Behind her, a horse trailed, almost lazily, as a pair of crimson eyes followed her from atop it.

"What's going on?" Shizuka gasped, her voice echoing dimly. She turned sharply to Bakura.

He was directly behind her now, and she faced his chest, staggering backwards as he grabbed her arms. A dark look in his eye made Shizuka widen her own.

"Why do I know you…?" she whispered.

He grinned and dragged her with him, past mounds of sand until the moon was setting. Stopping he gazed down at a simple scene. There was the man on the horse and the woman still struggling to escape. His voice carried across the sands, a sweet melody in an ancient language. And Shizuka understood.

"_Darling," _he said. _"Why run? I won't harm you…"_

But he was lying. Shizuka watched with wide eyes as he gathered her up from atop the horse and cast her to the ground, falling beside her as the silver blade of a knife flashed. The hose whinnied and she heard a hair-raising cry of agony.

"There," Bakura growled, pointing away from the scene. There were no screams now.

Shizuka followed his finger, tearing her eyes from the man and the now prostrate and bloody woman. Her gaze fell on a swirling cloud of pink and gold racing into the sky.

"What is it?"

"The girl," Bakura said. "It is the purest embodiment of her existence. It is her soul…the same soul that resides in your body."

She turned again. "What?!"

"I've followed you for millennia," he whispered. "Through hosts and lives unimaginable. So many times I was thwarted in killing you."

Shizuka stared at him, wide-eyed and stricken, like a rabbit in bright light. "What?" she asked again, breathlessly.

Smirking, Bakura wrapped her tightly in his arms. "Shizuka, darling, what if it wasn't just a dream?"

Jumping from her bed, Shizuka gazed around wide eyed. Thousand of pictures flashed past her eyes. Thousands of lives. All hers.

"Oh god." She began sobbing. "Oh god."

And suddenly, she knew.

It wasn't just a dream…

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Translation section:**

_Kami_ – God.

_Arigato_ – Thank you

* * *

**Au 1: **Azumi, meaning 'safe residence'. I thought it a fitting name for a nurse. 

**A/N:** Well, there we have it for now. I decided that it will come in five parts, so it's not going to be very long. **PLEASE R&R.**

And if anybody is interested I've started a contest for the hell of it. Feel free to check out my profile if you might be interested.

**NEW NOTE (6/20/07): **The contest spoken of above is no longer in effect (the winner was _'Imperfect Paradise'_. Her prize was a tainted Opticshipping (PegasusxShizuka) one-shot. Feel free to read. I'm told it's quite the terror.

Also, I still plan on doing this in five parts. When the next chapter is submitted (sometime this summer, I promise) please note that my style had a drastic change during the time when this was not worked on, and, although the story will be following similar paths to its plot origin, there will be minor twists and strange things before the end. I thank you for your attention.


	3. Part 3 Memory

**Eternal Obsession**

**By:**

**Setalina Muro**

**Summary:** It familiarity of it all was like a dream. The sands, the moon, his crimson eyes. That taunting voice…_You can't run forever_…but she sure as hell could try…Screamshipping…

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any places, people and/or other things you are familiar with from the show or anything else. The plot, however, is mine.

**A/N: **Hmm…Yes. So after almost two years, I actually picked this up and began work on it. I edited the last two chapters (nothing major. If nothing else, recap the last little bit of the final scene in the desert. I added some dialogue for Bakura. Anyway)

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

It was the memories that were the most terrible part of becoming self-aware again. They filtered back one by one, each penetrating deeply and sharply into her burdened soul. There had been so many lives…And each memory brought a different kind of terror with them: sight. As the days passed, her vision gradually increased. 

But somehow, more terrifying than her past lives was Bakura and the fact that she couldn't remember anything about her life with him in Egypt. He knew, of course, the tricks of Shizuka's spirit. This time, he vowed, she wouldn't escape.

He stalked outside her window at night and at school never took his gaze from her. Each glance, each twisted smile sent a shiver down her spine.

And she couldn't talk to anyone! Confiding in her brother or friends, she feared, would drag them into a conflict they had no part in and put them in danger. Yet somehow she still knew, even when Bakura had taken what he sought, someone other than her would die.

After all, they always did….

* * *

_-Rome Fourteenth Century -_

_The first thing she was truly conscious of were the arms around her. One was draped languidly across her stomach, holding her close to a strong, warm body. She sat up, pulling away from the heat, a strange tightness in her chest. Behind her, her companion stirred, softly touching the small of her back as he rose. _

"_Isadora?" he whispered. "What's the matter, darling?" _**(Au1) **

_The sweet tenor of his voice brought calm over her. She remained characteristically silent and turned to face him, her emotional, honey-colored eyes melancholy._

_He gazed at her, completely understanding as one hand reached out to brush her long, golden hair over her milky white shoulder. _

"_Were you dreaming about Egypt again, my love?" _

_Tears began to glisten in her eyes and he pulled her against him as she shuddered. _

"_Shhh," he cooed. "It's alright, my darling. I have you, Isadora. My sweet, you're perfectly safe." _

_She nodded and he smiled, his arm around her as they lay back down. He clapped his hands and a door opened at the end of the chamber. Two small boys bustled in, one moving to open the heavy curtains that obscured the window while the other paused by the side of the bed, bowing to the couple. _

"_Yes, my Lord?" _

"_What is the hour?" he asked lazily, toying with Isadora's long hair. _

_As the drape were drawn back, a strong blast of sunlight entered the room. _

"_It is a little past midday, my Lord," the boy said, blinking from the sudden onslaught of light. _

"_Good, good," the man murmured. _

"_Maelius" Isabella said, with some sense of urgency in her small voice. She gazed at him, her honey-colored eyes wide and he smiled. _

"_Oh, of course, my dear," he said before turning to the boy again. "How are the preparations for the celebration coming, Caius?" _

_The boy's face brightened with excitement. "Very well, my Lord. The wine arrived this morning and the decorations look very fine. The musicians have been by this morning to check their space. They've left their instruments until the evening."_

"_I'm glad to hear it," Maelius said, smiling broadly. _

_The boy's enthusiasm vanished for a moment and a perturbed look fell over him. "There is something that bothers me, my Lord." _

_Maelius's face contorted slightly and a cautious look crossed into his brown eyes. "Go on." _

"_There is a dark-haired stranger," the boy said. "He has stood outside the gates each hour and asked for Lady Isadora." _

_The woman in his arms started slightly. She sat up, glaring at the boy. "Who?" she demanded, anger filling her childish, un-used voice. _

_Caius blinked in surprise. Lady Isadora did not usually speak, especially to the servants. The combination of her soft beauty and broken language was foreign to the young boys that catered to Maelius. _

"_I-I d-don't know, m-my Lady," he sputtered, color painting his olive skin. "He has never given a name." _

_Her pretty little mouth formed into a scowl and Maelius touched her arm gently. _

"_Isadora, be calm please," he said. "Anger is not good for you, darling. You'll fall ill." _

_Her eyes lowered slightly and she sat back, arms wrapping around her stomach. _

"_Thank you." He smiled and kissed her forehead before standing up. The other boy rushed to bring him a robe of dark blue to drape across his shoulders. "Now," Maelius continued, tying it at the front. "The next time this man comes, tell him the master of the house will speak with him." _

_Isadora's eyes widened in horror. "Maelius, no!" _

_He sighed. "Go and prepare our baths," he ordered the boys before turning to his lover. When the doors had shut behind him, he returned to the bed. "Isadora," he began, pronouncing the syllables distinctly. "Be reasonable, darling. I must send this man away. Neither of us wants him at our celebration. When the guests arrive tonight I want him as far away as possible. It is a special night, after all. And Isadora, you must have your feet beneath you. You-"_

"_I know," she interrupted, attempting to find the words she wished to speak. "Maelius, I sense…danger." _

_Sympathetically, he took her quivering form into his arms. "I love you, Isadora. You know this. Nothing will befall you," he whispered to her. "Or me. Or our child." He stroked her stomach momentarily. "Nothing," he vowed. _

* * *

_It was a deep bond. Deeper than the proposal that would bind them in name, deeper than the child that grew within her, and deeper still than the adoration she felt for him, her rescuer. _

_She could still remember the temple, the dark room where they had kept her so meticulously preened. Attended only by women, so no man could be tempted to take that which belonged to the goddess. She had been taught silence and obedience, awaiting the day she could be called a woman, the day she could leave the dark room and join her goddess. _

_The day came. The knives were sharpened, the fire stroked. Sometimes, she could still see that fire; those saffron flames almost begging to lick at her legs, devour her flesh. Sometimes, she could hear the violent crackle of it, prepared to consume her. She was frightened, and the voices of the priests and faithful, chanting and howling, echoed from the temple walls…_

_Until a door fell open heavily, ringing through the hall, all falling into a shocked silence as a tall, elegant man strode into their presence. He was adorned in a rich blue fabric and the high priest began yelling at him angrily. _

"_Calm your bantering," the rich stranger had ordered. His gaze swept the commons, stopping only to lock with her own. "Let me take the girl," he said. _

_The priest was outraged. "You come to our temple to demand possession of our sacrifice? A pure virgin, raised and sheltered from birth as a chosen of the goddess and __you__ would take her from us?! Pah!" he spat. _

"_Ask her what she wants," he retorted, smiling as he ran a hand through his thick brown hair. "I will pay any price your goddess demands, if __she__…" and here he paused to nod toward Isadora, "wishes to leave." _

"_What do you do with them?" the priest barked, disgusted. "These ones you pay us for?" But in his mind he was haggling the price of the girl before the alter. "You know we need resources. At first, I thought the Goddess had sent you to fund our cause. But each time you offer us money, you take one of our prepared in return and will have nothing else. What do you do with them, rich man, that you come here so often to steal them?" _

_The man moved forward, still smiling, speaking only to Isadora, and compelling her with his soft chocolate eyes. "I give them a chance at life," he said. "Money if they don't wish to stay in Italy. But they are always welcome in my home. They have good food, steady pay. And I offer them something they have never had: Freedom." _

_It was strange, the chorus that very word struck in her. So long in her life had she wondered what lay outside the walls of her dark room. She took a hesitant step toward him, eyes mirroring confusion. _

"_Come with me," he said softly, offering her his hand. "You don't have to die here today."_

_It was those words that spurred her to move down the steps and take his hand; those words that made her realize, with a sudden jolt of fear: she didn't __want__ to die. She cowered against him and he pulled her close, covering her with his cloak. _

_The priest was flabbergasted. "M-Maelius! Stop!" he exclaimed. "Where are you going?" _

_Maelius laughed and raised a hand behind him in farewell. "You know where to send for the payment. Good day." _

_The day remained embedded in her mind, the very image of Maelius as he stood in the entranceway of the temple. It was one night, some months later that she picked up a paintbrush and began to coat a blank canvas with his form. _

_There was no set account as to how Isadora came to live with Maelius. She didn't gain the courage to join in his almost nightly gatherings for several months. It was after one such night, ages later, that she consented to him and he shattered the final bond that held her to her Goddess. _

_And now she stood, adorned in an elegant white robe, beside Maelius as he announced their union to the mass of associates. She scanned the crowd nervously, waiting for some judgement or condemnation that she be the one Maelius would take for his wife. _

_After a large amount of praise, Maelius was swept off by a group of his most frequent patrons, leaving Isadora to loiter where she would. It was very sudden when a dark-haired figure in red swept her into his arms and directed her to the dance floor. _

"_Good evening, my Lady," he said, a dark voice issuing forth from his lips. _

_She pulled away from him roughly, eyes wide and staring, as it rang a familiar tone in her mind. "Who are you?" she demanded. _

"_Who am I? You waste your breath on a question you already know the answer to," he taunted. He watched the fear rise in her face and leaned closer. "My name now is of no consequence. You __would__ know me by the name Bakura." _

_Every muscle in her body tensed and a flash of understanding spread through her honey-colored eyes. "Why can't you just let me be happy?" she hissed, finding the words her life had never provided her with. _

_He raised a brow. "You are mine," he said. "And you always have been. This life you've made will burn like the lie it is." _

_Her breath caught as the first whiff of smoke came to her. Bakura began to laugh darkly as she turned from him, forcing her way through the crowd. _

"_Maelius!" she screamed as she began to feel tears in her eyes. "Maelius!!" _

_He turned toward her, eyes alighting with worry. The rest of the crowd began to fall silent as he took her into his arms. _

"_Maelius," she cried hysterically. "Maelius, the west side of the villa is on fire! We have to get out!" _

_Maelius was as bemused by her proclamation as he was by her speaking. But her eyes were alight with a desperate fear that made him not question her. _

"_Make certain every guest leaves," he told his servants before taking Isadora's hand and dragging her out. _

_They huddled together by the river, watching as smoke began to billow from the house. Then he turned to her. _

"_You…speak," he said. _

_Tears were flowing freely down her face. "The silence was bound with my ties to this life and they have been shattered. Bakura has come for me." _

"_Bakura?" _

"_The man from Egypt. He has come to kill me, as was his vow." She gazed up at him, her hands quivering as she touched his face. "I loved you," she said. "Every part of you and everything you gave me in this life." _

"_Isadora, you sound as if you're saying goodbye." _

"_I've become self-aware. I can't live in a world where I have knowledge of him. Not even with you." _

"_How very sweet," Bakura's voice suddenly echoed. "So you've 'accepted' your fate? __Isadora__," he taunted. "Do you know what I'm going to do?" _

_She took a step back as he drew near to them. _

"_I'm going to kill your lover," he continued. "And then take your soul as it should have been centuries ago." _

_He had a long blade in his hands and brought it down across Maelius's chest, leaving a bloody, gaping slash there. Maelius gasped and responded by pulling his own sword from a scabbard by his side. He lunged toward Bakura. Blades clashing, the two dove into the burning house. _

_Isadora stood in shock for a moment before tearing after them. She found Maelius lying prostrate on the ground and fell by his side, tears pouring from her eyes. _

"_Funny," Maelius coughed pathetically. "These are the very flames I tried to save you from." He crushed her to his chest. "Don't be afraid, Isadora." _

_She felt the first flame catch on her robe. This was the end. Her eyes squeezed shut and a single thought came to her. _

"_Oh god," she choked out, clinging to Maelius's robe. "My baby…" _

* * *

Shizuka felt a screaming sob escaping her throat as she sat up. One arm wound around her stomach and she began to rock back and forth sobbing into her free hand.

"Oh the baby," she cried in a muffled voice. "He killed my baby…"

* * *

School came irritably early that day. Shizuka sat in her desk, brooding on the terror of the dream. The class sat quietly pencils moving steadily across paper as they worked. 

"Do you remember Rome, Shizuka?"

She felt herself stiffen at the immaculate silence of the room. Her eyes closed as she composed herself, forcing back the tears that threatened. She jerked around in her seat, glaring dangerously at Bakura.

"And what the hell am I supposed to remember about Rome?" she snapped.

He smiled. "Why, the villa, my dear. That _darling_ master of yours. The one that stole you from the priests."

She choked down a sob that rose in her throat as he continued.

"Who was it you served?" he asked. "To what pagan god were they sacrificing you to?" Bakura tapped his pencil against the desk, gazing out the window. "You had very light hair," he murmured. "Like gold actually. And how it shone in that fire."

He smiled as he stood up, moving around the classroom, ghosting past their prone classmates, figures frozen in time.

"Why do you enjoy torturing me?" she hissed. "I don't want these memories or lives! And I hate you. I wish I had never laid eyes on you!"

Bakura chuckled to himself, pausing behind Kaiba, who had his computer on his desk, fingers splayed in typing position. A thought struck Bakura and he grabbed the other boy's wrists, adjusting their position on the keyboard. Kaiba now sat poised over the incorrect keys.

"Do you really enjoy this?" Shizuka snapped. "Stop this spell and leave me alone."

Again, she was met with a twisted smile. "You say that like it would be fun," he mused. "Now remind me about Rome."

Echoes of flames flickered across her conscious. She put her hands to her head. "I will not remember Rome," she whispered.

"The villa was always full of music," he taunted. "And you were such wonderful hosts. The master and his pretty toy."

"Not a toy," she murmured before glancing up at him. "Why so eager to torment me, Bakura? You have all of eternity."

His hand ghosted her hair and she pulled away, listening to his devious chuckle. "It's no where _near_ enough time," he murmured.

There was silence then, deep and penetrating. Shizuka sat with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, awaiting Bakura's next antic.

"I never knew the full tale," he said after a few more minutes. "About when he became your lover." He returned to his desk, steepling his fingers. "Tell me. Were you pregnant when I lured you to your death in that burning building?"

"Go to hell!!" she screamed.

"Kawai-san!"

Shizuka rotated quickly in her seat, wiping at the tears on her face as color flooded it. "I-I'm sorry, Sensei."

Naoki-sensei eyed her curiously, a look of shock etched on his features. "See me after class, please, Kawai-san."

She nodded silently as he returned to the lesson. It seemed like forever until the bell finally rang. Bakura smirked at her as he followed the rest of the class out of the classroom. She stood up, slowly, not nearing Naoki-sensei's desk until all the students had gone.

He made no movement to speak to her as his hands made quick work of sorting papers neatly into several piles. She watched him in silence, waiting until he sighed and removed the black frames from his eyes and glanced at her.

"Kawai-san-"

"Naoki-sensei, I am very sorry for my outburst in class. I-"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand, shaking his head.

"That's not what this is about, Kawai-san," he said. "Something is troubling you greatly. That was not your first outburst and your grades have been slipping. I'm worried about you."

Shizuka paused and bit her lower lip. "Do…do you believe in past lives?" she asked slowly. "Or spirit possession?"

"I can't say I'm well-versed in it, but I've heard of them both," he replied, slightly puzzled.

She moved and sat in the desk behind her. "I'm having dreams…nightmares, really, about these lives. The most prominent is about being a girl in Ancient Egypt. She's being chased by this man…and he attacks and kills her. But her soul escapes her body before he finishes and he doesn't feel…complete. So he chases her soul through the centuries, each possessing different bodies. She escapes every time he kills her and keeps going."

"And you are this girl?" Naoki-sensei still looked concerned. His face showed no trace of him doubting her or believing she was insane.

"Yes," she said softly.

"And the man?"

"Bakura…" she whispered.

Naoki-sensei did not appear shocked by this revelation. He bit the stem of his glasses and gazed at a spot above her head. "It makes sense…"

"Naoki-sensei," Shizuka said in a terrified whisper. "I don't know what to do. Someone will get hurt again because he can't leave me alone."

"I don't know either, Kawai-san." His gaze moved back to her, a small frown on his lips. "I really don't know…"

* * *

Dark clouds rolled slowly across the sky, altering the path of moonlight as it dappled across the room. It was a study, coolly decorated with oak bookshelves standing proudly along the wall. Several large, square windows, with tied curtains of a dark velvet green on the sides, allowed the light access. In the center was a desk, also made of oak, scattered with papers. It was lighted by the dull glow of a single lamp. The only sounds in the room were the turning of pages and the occasional scratch of a pencil, executed by the lone male occupant. 

Naoki-sensei was looking back through the centuries, picking up clues and sorting the stories Shizuka had told him. He was intrigued by the entire paradox of the wandering spirits and wholly concerned for the safety of Shizuka.

The idea of the malevolent spirits frightened him, that much he knew for certain. But it also brought forth the perplexed fascination that many people adopt when they encounter an oddity. For the same way the enigma of a seduction by vampire can obsess the mind, Naoki-sensei had taken to the mystery of Bakura and Shizuka.

He turned another page, eyes scanning pictures of Roman villas and temples. Among the myriad of ancient art illustrated there, his eyes narrowed as he focused on one in particular.

The piece was scorched along the edges, the lower right hand completely scalded. It was hand painted and depicted a man in a sweeping cloak. His face was thin, cheekbones set high. His eyes were kind and a small, gallant smile adorned his lips. The caption below it read: _'A painting of a Roman man in the mid-1300s, damaged by a fire. Artists unknown._"

"Maelius…"

And Naoki-sensei knew he was staring at the man who had been Shizuka's Roman lover.

"A bit late for light reading, don't you believe, Sensei?"

Naoki jumped at the dark voice, the book falling from his hands. His eyes locked on the direction the voice had come from and he watched a silver-haired man emerged from the shadows. Moonlight glinted from his red-tinted eyes and Naoki-sensei felt a shudder race down his spine.

In the dark, secluded study, the form of Bakura Ryou was unnaturally menacing, and Naoki felt a trill of fear as he stepped closer.

"Bakura," he murmured, rising from his chair cautiously. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Bakura cocked his head and a coy smile spread over his lips. "Ah, Sensei, playing dumb does not become you," he replied, turning his attention to a small trinket on one of the bookshelves.

Naoki watched him carefully, the curio was two inches of carved glass in the shape of a castle. It was reminiscent of a chess piece, and Naoki suddenly found himself wondering where it had come from.

The possessed youth began to hold the chess piece daintily between his thumb and forefinger. He shook it slightly and then let it fall to the floor, grinning manically toward his teacher. The sound of it shattering reverberated around the room.

"I suppose you don't understand what it is you're meddling in, Sensei," Bakura said. "But then again, I suppose you couldn't really. There's a myriad of complexity involved in why it is I chase Shizuka across the centuries."

Naoki merely stared dumbly as Bakura strode forward and jumped over the desk, sitting on the finished surface.

"I suppose you can compare it to chess," he continued. "You play, I assume?" Bakura's eyes darted to the terrified man as he nodded mutely, and then returned to staring off reminiscently. "Then you would understand what it would be like to constantly find yourself in a stalemate with your opponent. You see, what most people fail to understand when they attempt to analyze our situation, is that _she's playing too_. She strikes you as a victim, doesn't she? Helpless and disadvantaged. But she's not really. And she uses pawns just as readily as I would. That Maelius fellow. _You_." He laughed loudly for a moment before returning to his sober ponderings.

"You see, I'm _tired_ of this. It's been nearly five thousand years. Not to say it hasn't been _fun_ at times. Quite the contrary. But you can only imagine what it is to die a thousand deaths and return, fully conscious of your purpose. To come into a fresh body, newly born, and _know_ that you had to find and kill this creature of devious nature that was running from her fate as surely as it pursued her."

Dark eyes turned upon Naoki again, who stood, frozen, staring and his head shook. "I am sorry that you had to be caught up," Bakura said after a moment of silent contemplation. "It was enjoyable to kill the others that Shizuka manipulated. They were _idiots_. But you aren't."

Naoki-sensei suddenly became aware of himself again as Bakura stood up. He stumbled backwards, staring at the ancient spirit with wide, frightened eyes.

"I'm ending it," Bakura whispered as Naoki fell to the ground, still staring at him with terrified eyes. He pulled a long, thin knife from his back pocket and crouched down beside the teacher. "I am. I'm going to look at her this time and do you know what I'm going to say to her?"

Naoki was trembling this time, but he knew the answer. He watched the glint in Bakura's red eyes; saw the silver knife poised above his chest. He took a painful, quivering breath and barely managed to say, "Checkmate."

Bakura's smile grew. "Exactly."

**-To Be Continued...-**

* * *

**Au 1:** Isadora - gift of the moon. Maelius – no known translation. The original names of these characters were Isabella and Marcos. I didn't really like them. 

**A/N:** (blink) what's this?? Compassion for the villain? He gets to tell his side? Can I really feel distain for him stabbing and/or possibly killing Naoki-sensei? What the hell??

I don't know, honestly. The portion with Bakura's story was neither pre-meditated nor thought out. Mainly, it wrote itself when I sat down on the computer, having not finished that part. Anyway.

Yes, this has been a long while in coming. I apologize for that. I hope that the length somewhat makes up for it. This should be finished soon (ish). I can't put a timeline on it, of course. But there's only two parts left. The fourth should be relatively shorter than the others and I'm still hinging on what to call the fifth.

**Part 4: Fate**

In other news, my recent MIA actions were caused by a surgery to remove my appendix, or else I really would have had this done in August. After that, school began in a rush and everything else just piled on. Next projects are on my profile.

**Please R&R.**

Lina


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